From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

MAX
3500 South MAX bus at former stop at West Valley Intermodal Hub, August 2011
Parent Utah Transit Authority (UTA)
FoundedJuly 14, 2008 [1]
Locale Wasatch Front, Utah, U.S.
Routes
Hubs
Website rideuta.com

MAX [Note 1] is a bus rapid transit (BRT) service operated by Utah Transit Authority (UTA) along the Wasatch Front in Utah, United States. It is described by UTA as " light rail on rubber tires." As of August 2023, there is one BRT line in service in Utah County, one line in service in Weber County, one discontinued line in Salt Lake County, and two new routes planned for Salt Lake County. [10]

Description

MAX had service improvements that differed from regular bus service, such as Transit Signal Priority (TSP), increased spacing between stops, high-frequency service, and improved stops. [10] The MAX lines had limited stops (often at major transfer points). [Note 2] MAX operated along a limited one-mile stretch of dedicated fixed guideway, separated from regular traffic. The first such fixed guideway was built for the MAX service in West Valley City on 3500 South from 3600 West to 2700 West. [11]

Another characteristic that distinguished MAX from regular bus service is that it did not have a set schedule for all of its stops (although there are estimated times for arrival). MAX would leave its first stop and travel as fast as legally and safely possible to the end of the line. [10]

The first MAX line (3500 South MAX) opened on July 14, 2008. [1] [10] The service was discontinued on August 7, 2022.

The MAX bus shelter at the Millcreek TRAX station, July 2008

Another feature of MAX was that passengers could enter the unique buses by any door and do not have to show proof of fare to the driver upon boarding. Although fare payment (including the use bus tokens) could be made at the farebox upon boarding the front of the MAX bus, MAX stations also had ticket vending machines that accepted cash or credit cards. [12] [13] [Note 3] Fares were never truly enforced as they were on the TRAX and FrontRunner. MAX tickets served as a transfer to other UTA modes of transit. [10] [15]

Future MAX lines

There will not be any future MAX lines. There will continue to be BRT lines studied in the UTA Service Area including along 5600 West in Salt Lake County, Taylorsville/Murray area (4700 South), Holladay/ Cottonwood Heights area (Wasatch Boulevard) and in Davis County. [16] On July 8, 2014, Davis County unanimously approved a resolution in support of a BRT route connecting downtown Salt Lake City with Bountiful. [17]

Former MAX lines

3500 South MAX

Main article: 3500 South MAX

The 3500 South MAX [5] line connected Magna with the West Valley Central TRAX Station in West Valley City and the Millcreek TRAX station in South Salt Lake, traveling along a route of 10 miles (16 km) on 3500 and 3300 South ( SR-171). [16] It was the first of several BRT lines that UTA is planning for the Salt Lake Valley and Utah County. [18] Costs for the project totaled $17 million (equivalent to $24,057,000 in 2023); a light rail extension along the same route would have cost $100 million. [18] Original plans were to discontinue MAX service between the Millcreek and West Valley Central TRAX Stations once the West Valley extension of the TRAX Green Line was completed. However, even though the Green Line began service in August 2011, as of May 2014, service between the two TRAX stations still continued. [5] The 3500 South MAX ran Monday through Saturday (no Sunday service) from about 6:00 am to midnight (every fifteen minutes on weekdays and every half-hour on Saturdays). It was permanently discontinued on August 7, 2022, after a year of being temporarily suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [19] [20] [21]

Notes

  1. ^ The meaning and origins of the name "MAX" was never identified or specified by UTA (as it has in the case of TRAX, which is a shortened version of "Transit Express"). [6] [7] However, the term MAX, as a shortening of Metropolitan (or Metro) Area Express, has been used in conjunction with bus rapid transit (BRT) since June 2004 by the Metropolitan Area Express in the Las Vegas Valley in Nevada [8] and since July 2005 by the Metro Area Express in Kansas City, Missouri [9]
  2. ^ Many "stops" or stations on a MAX line actually consist of two separate stations, one for each direction of travel, usually on opposite sides of the road and sometimes on opposite sides of an intersection. On sections of the line where MAX has dedicated travel lanes (guideways), the stations are located in the median of the road.
  3. ^ Although some of UTA's ticket vending machines previously accepted bus tokens as payment, as of September 1, 2008, none of UTA's ticket machines accept bus tokens. [14]

References

  1. ^ a b Hollenhorst, John (July 14, 2008). "UTA launches MAX bus service". ksl.com. Salt Lake City: Deseret Digital Media. Retrieved August 3, 2013.
  2. ^ "Provo Orem BRT". rideuta.com. Utah Transit Authority. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  3. ^ Williams, Carter (September 22, 2021). "UTA's Ogden rapid bus project has a new name as it inches closer to completion". ksl.com. Salt Lake City: Deseret Digital Media. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  4. ^ "Utah Transit Authority". rideuta.com. March 15, 2015. Archived from the original on March 15, 2015. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c "UTA MAX". rideuta.com. Utah Transit Authority. Retrieved January 13, 2013.
  6. ^ Van Eyck, Zack (October 28, 1997). "New names may put TRAX on the map". Deseret News. Salt Lake City: Deseret Digital Media. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
  7. ^ "Utah Transit Authority's TRAX Salt Lake City Light Rail". utahrails.com. Utah Rails. March 3, 1997. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
  8. ^ "RTC to celebrate 20 years of providing public transportation in our valley". rtcsnv.com. Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  9. ^ "FACT SHEET: "MAX" - Metro Area Express" (PDF). kcata.org. Kansas City Area Transportation Authority. October 2009. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  10. ^ a b c d e "Bus Rapid Transit" (PDF). rideuta.com. Utah Transit Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 21, 2013. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
  11. ^ Hancock, Laura (April 6, 2010). "UTA 'bus-rapid' line running on 3500 South". Deseret News. Salt Lake City: Deseret Digital Media. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
  12. ^ "Dining on MAX Millcreek Station to Magna". rideuta.com. Utah Transit Authority. November 5, 2010. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  13. ^ "Current Fares". rideuta.com. Utah Transit Authority. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  14. ^ "UTA ending token program". Deseret News. August 23, 2008. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  15. ^ "MAX-TRAX service to begin at station". Deseret News. Salt Lake City: Deseret Digital Media. July 13, 2008. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
  16. ^ a b Warburton, Nicole (February 3, 2008). "UTA plans bus rapid-transit line". Deseret News. Salt Lake City: Deseret Digital Media. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
  17. ^ Jacobsen, Morgan (July 9, 2014). "UTA gains Davis County approval for bus rapid transit route". Deseret News. Salt Lake City. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  18. ^ a b Salt Lake Tribune (July 13, 2008). "UTA set to unveil speedy MAX bus route". KSL.com. Salt Lake City: MediaNews Group. The Associated Press. Retrieved July 13, 2008.
  19. ^ "Service Adjustments". www.rideuta.com (Press release). Retrieved July 4, 2022.
  20. ^ Davidson, Lee (July 22, 2020). "UTA is restoring bus and train service to 91% of pre-pandemic levels". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
  21. ^ OpenGov. "August Change Day 2022". August Change Day 2022. Retrieved July 25, 2022.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to MAX (Utah Transit Authority).


Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=MAX_(Utah_Transit_Authority)&oldid=1215940821"